One of the most confusing things for the newcomer to Linux is how many distributions, or versions, of the operating system there are. Ubuntu is the one most people have heard of, but there are hundreds of others as well, each offering some variant on the basic Linux theme.

Choosing the distribution--or "distro"--that's right for your business will depend in large part on five key factors, as I've already described. It's also helpful, however, to have a basic understanding of how the major Linux distros differ.

What follows, then, is a roundup of sorts of the top 10 Linux distributions today.